AUGUSTA, Ga. — The Augusta Sports Council announced Wednesday that Tennessee senior punter Paxton Brooks is one of 49 candidates named to the preseason watch list for the Ray Guy Award, which annually honors the nation’s top collegiate punter in the FBS.
Entering his fifth and final season with the Vols and fourth-straight year as UT’s starting punter, Brooks has played in 48 career games and averages 43.3 yards per punt—ranking third all-time in Tennessee history. Thirty of his punts have gone 50-plus yards, while 47 of his punts have been pinned inside the 20-yard line.
Last fall, Brooks ranked eighth in the SEC in punting average (44.0) and logged 11 punts over 50 yards, including a career-long 64-yard boot in the season opener against Bowling Green. His 44.0 yards-per-punt average was a single-season career best and ranks 10th in the UT record book.
The Lexington, South Carolina, native has produced a distinguished career on and off the field during his time in Knoxville and will wear the SEC graduate patch this season after completing his undergraduate degree in kinesiology in May 2021 while maintaining a 3.92 cumulative GPA. He is a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and was recognized as a First Team Academic All-American at the conclusion of the 2021 season.
The 49 Ray Guy Award candidates on the list incorporate a broad spectrum of FBS punters. The 2022 watch list was compiled based on the 2021 Ray Guy Award Semifinalist List, the top ten NCAA Punters from 2021, the 2021 All-Conference teams, the 2021 All-American Teams, the 2022 pre-season All-Conference Teams and eligible punters on the 2021 watch list.
The number of eligible candidates for this season will grow when the award opens nominations on July 28. The complete list of candidates will be released on November 2nd. In mid-November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the ten semifinalists, who will be announced on November 8th.
A national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners will then vote for the top three finalists to be announced on November 18th. After the finalists are named, the voting body will cast ballots again to select the nation’s top punter. The winner will be announced live during The Home Depot College Football Awards airing on ESPN in December 2022.
Since the Ray Guy Award’s inception in 2000, Tennessee has had three punters recognized as finalists or semifinalists for the nation’s top punting honors. David Leaverton was tabbed a semifinalist in 2000 before Dustin Colquitt was honored three-straight years—twice as a finalist in 2002-03 and once as a semifinalist in 2004. Michael Palardy was UT’s most recent Ray Guy Award semifinalist in 2013.
2022 Tennessee Football Preseason Honors
R-Sr. LB Jeremy Banks Butkus Award Watch List Lott Trophy Watch List All-SEC Second Team (Athlon) All-SEC Third Team (Media) All-SEC Fourth Team (Phil Steele)
Jr. RB Jabari Small Doak Walker Award Watch List All-SEC Third Team (Phil Steele) All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon)
R-Sr. WR Cedric Tillman Biletnikoff Award Watch List Maxwell Award Watch List Third-Team All-American (Athlon, Phil Steele) All-SEC First Team (Athlon, Phil Steele) All-SEC Second Team (Media)
R-Sr. TE Jacob Warren John Mackey Award Watch List
Sr. OL Darnell Wright All-SEC Second Team (Media) All-SEC Third Team (Phil Steele) All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon)
Sr. DL/LB Byron Young All-SEC First Team (Athlon, Media) All-SEC Second Team (Phil Steele)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee redshirt senior Jeremy Banks was one of 51 players named to the preseason watch list for the 38th annual Butkus Award, honoring the nation’s top linebacker.
The watch list features 51 linebackers, mirroring the legendary “51” pro jersey associated with the award’s namesake, Dick Butkus, who was recognized by NFL Films as the best defensive player in football history. The SEC led all conferences with 12 players on the watch list, followed by the Pac-12 with nine.
Banks is coming off a breakout 2021 season in which he led the team and ranked second in the SEC and tied for seventh in the nation in total tackles with 128 (59 solo, 69 assisted). He averaged 9.85 tackles per game, good for 12th in the nation, and his 128 total tackles were the most by a Vol in a season since A.J. Johnson logged 138 in 2012. Banks produced six double-digit tackle performances, including six out of his last seven contests on the year.
The Cordova, Tennessee, native capped the 2021 season by tying the UT bowl record for tackles with 20 in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl against Purdue, becoming the first Vol with 20 tackles in a game since Daniel Bituli vs. Georgia Tech on Sept. 4, 2017. Banks also spent plenty of time in opponent’s backfields, finishing the season tied for first on the team with 11.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He added one interception, three pass breakups and three quarterback hurries to his stat line, as well.
The Butkus Award semifinalists are expected to be named on Oct. 31 with finalists to follow Nov. 21. The winner will be named on or before Dec. 7. A 51-member expert panel of coaches, scouts and journalists guides the selection process.
Tennessee has never had a player win the Butkus Award but has had two finalists – Raynoch Thompson (1999) and Keith DeLong (1988). Banks will look to become the seventh Vol to at least make the list of semifinalists and first since Johnson in 2014.
2022 Tennessee Football Preseason Honors
R-Sr. LB Jeremy Banks Butkus Award Watch List Lott Trophy Watch List All-SEC Second Team (Athlon) All-SEC Fourth Team (Phil Steele)
R-Sr. QB Hendon Hooker Davey O’Brien Award Watch List Maxwell Award Watch List All-SEC Second Team (Athlon, Phil Steele)
Jr. RB Jabari Small Doak Walker Award Watch List All-SEC Third Team (Phil Steele) All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon)
R-Sr. WR Cedric Tillman Biletnikoff Award Watch List Maxwell Award Watch List Third-Team All-American (Athlon, Phil Steele) All-SEC First Team (Athlon, Phil Steele)
R-Sr. TE Jacob Warren John Mackey Award Watch List
Sr. OL Darnell Wright All-SEC Third Team (Phil Steele) All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon)
Sr. DL/LB Byron Young All-SEC First Team (Athlon) All-SEC Second Team (Phil Steele)
Statement from Chancellor Donde Plowman Regarding NCAA Notice of Allegations
“Earlier today, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville received a notice of allegations from the NCAA regarding the football program led by former head coach Jeremy Pruitt.
In every step of this process, we took quick and decisive actions that exemplified the longstanding values of the NCAA reiterated in the membership’s new constitution. The university hired outside counsel to fully investigate allegations about the football program, acted promptly to terminate the employment of football coaches and staff members, and shared our conclusions with the NCAA enforcement staff.
The NCAA Division I Board of Directors recently endorsed significant reforms to the infractions process proposed by the Transformation Committee, including clearly and meaningfully incentivizing the type of responsive institutional actions we took in this case – self-detection and reporting, self-accountability, and the active involvement of the institution’s chief executive. The NCAA enforcement staff recognized the university’s “exemplary cooperation” in the case and stated that “[t]he actions taken by the institution during the investigation should be the standard for any institutional inquiries into potential violations.”
While we will take appropriate responsibility, last fall, the university announced that we will not self-impose penalties that harm innocent student-athletes like postseason bans based upon the actions of coaches and staff who are no longer part of the institution. Under the NCAA’s new constitution, rules “must ensure to the greatest extent possible that penalties imposed for infractions do not punish programs or student-athletes not involved or implicated in the infraction(s).”
While NCAA bylaws prohibit the university from publicly commenting about the specific allegations, we have and will continue to seek a timely resolution of this case that is consistent with the NCAA’s new constitution and in the best interests of the University of Tennessee.
In the meantime, we will continue to support our football program’s new leadership, our exceptional student-athletes and the culture of winning and accountability they are building.”
Statement from Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White Regarding NCAA Notice of Allegations
“Receipt of our Notice of Allegations was an expected, requisite step in this process—a process our university initiated proactively through decisive and transparent actions. This moves us one step closer to a final resolution. Until we get to that point, I am unable to discuss the case in any detail. As a university, we understand the need to take responsibility for what occurred, but we remain committed to protecting our current and future student-athletes.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee tight end Jacob Warren was named to the 2022 John Mackey Award preseason watch list, as announced by the Friends of John Mackey on Friday.
The Mackey Award is presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding tight end. Warren, a redshirt senior, is on the preseason watch list for the first time in his career.
The Knoxville native and product of Farragut High School is coming off the best season of his collegiate career, tallying a career-best 18 catches for 179 yards and three touchdowns in 2021, appearing in all 13 games while making six starts.
Warren is a member of the team’s leadership council and is a four-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, as well. He is expected to have an even bigger role in Tennessee’s high-powered offense this season in year two under head coach Josh Heupel.
The John Mackey Award distinctively celebrates excellence without prejudice or discrimination. Dedicated to the life of John Mackey himself, the award seeks to keep on driving true passion, dedication and at the same time raise health awareness for the Game of football in schools, especially in colleges and among the youth generally.
Mackey was one of the great leaders in NFL history, on and off the field. He was a Hall of Fame player who redefined his position. Mackey was a courageous advocate for his fellow NFL players as head of the NFL Players Association. The legacy he leaves behind was also pushed forward by his wife, whose three-page letter to then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue in 2006 led to the “88 Plan” (88 was John Mackey’s uniform number) and that created significant financial assistance for former players battling dementia.
The full Mackey Award preseason watch list can be seen HERE.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Southeastern Conference office announced Friday morning that eight Tennessee Volunteers have garnered preseason All-SEC honors, selected by credentialed media attending the 2022 SEC Football Media Days this week at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
Senior edge rusher Byron Young headlines the group as a first-team defense selection, while redshirt-senior quarterback Hendon Hooker, redshirt-senior wide receiver Cedric Tillman and senior offensive lineman Darnell Wright were named to the league’s second team. Junior offensive lineman Cooper Mays, redshirt senior linebacker Jeremy Banks, senior defensive back Trevon Flowers and redshirt-senior punter Paxton Brooks round out Tennessee’s honorees as third-team selections.
One of the top returning edge rushers in the SEC, Young played in 11 games with eight starts in his first FBS season last fall and tied with Banks for the team lead in sacks (5.5) and TFLs (11.5). He ranked second among UT defensive linemen with 46 total tackles on the year, including 20 solo, and led the squad with eight QB hurries.
A member of the Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien Award preseason watch lists, Hooker returns for his sixth and final season of college football in 2022. The Greensboro, North Carolina, native racked up 3,561 yards of total offense last fall, which ranked fourth in the SEC and fourth in UT single-season history. He shattered single-season program records for passing efficiency (181.4) and completion percentage (68.0) and totaled 31 passing touchdowns to just three interceptions.
Coming off a breakout junior campaign in 2021 and a 2022 Biletnikoff Award candidate, Tillman emerged as one of the SEC’s best playmakers last fall. He finished the year with 64 catches for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns and caught a TD pass in a school-record seven consecutive games to end the season.
A talented a powerful offensive tackle on the Big Orange O-line, Wright started all 13 games in 2021 at left tackle and saw action on a team-high snap count of 922 on the season. He blocked for a Tennessee offense that set program record for points scored (511) and total offense (6,174 yards).
Mays also stood out for UT’s offensive line last fall, playing and starting at center in eight games during Josh Heupel‘s first season with the program. The local product battled injury earl in the year but started the final six games of the season, not allowing a sack over the final five contests of the 2021 campaign.
Returning as one of the nation’s leading tacklers this year, Banks produced one of the best seasons by a linebacker in school history in 2021. He led the team, ranked second in the SEC and tied for the seventh in the nation with 128 total tackles (59 solo, 69 assisted). His 9.85 tackles per game was good for 12th in the nation, while his 128 total tackles were the most by a Vol since A.J. Johnson logged 138 in 2012.
An Atlanta native entering his senior season, Flowers will serves as the Vols’ starting safety for the third straight season. A leader in the locker room, he has appeared in 35 games with 25 starts and recorded 170 tackles, three interceptions and 10 pass breakups. He ranked sixth among SEC defensive backs with a career-best 82 tackles a year ago.
Entering his fourth straight season as Tennessee’s starting punter, Brooks has played in 48 career games. He averages 43.3 yards per punt for his career, which ranks third all-time in UT history. Thirty of his punts have gone 50-plus yards, and 47 of his punts have been pinned inside the 20.
2022 PRESEASON MEDIA DAYS ALL-SEC TEAM
OFFENSE
First-Team QB – Bryce Young, Alabama RB – Tank Bigsby, Auburn RB – Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama WR – Kayshon Boutte, LSU WR – Jermaine Burton, Alabama TE – Brock Bowers, Georgia OL – Emil Ekiyor Jr., Alabama OL – Warren McClendon, Georgia OL – O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida OL – Nick Broeker, Ole Miss C – Ricky Stromberg, Arkansas
Second-Team QB – Hendon Hooker, Tennessee RB – Chris Rodriguez Jr., Kentucky RB – Devon Achane, Texas A&M WR – Cedric Tillman, Tennessee WR – Jonathan Mingo, Ole Miss TE – Cameron Latu, Alabama OL – Layden Robinson, Texas A&M OL – Kenneth Horsey, Kentucky OL – Darnell Wright, Tennessee OL – Javion Cohen, Alabama C – Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia
Third-Team QB – Will Levis, Kentucky RB – Zach Evans, Ole Miss RB – Kenny McIntosh, Georgia WR – Ainias Smith, Texas A&M WR – Josh Vann, South Carolina TE – Jaheim Bell, South Carolina OL – Brady Latham, Arkansas OL – Tyler Steen, Alabama OL – Javon Foster, Missouri *OL – Jeremy James, Ole Miss *OL – Kendall Randolph, Alabama C – Cooper Mays, Tennessee
DEFENSE
First-Team DL – Jalen Carter, Georgia DL – BJ Ojulari, LSU DL – Derick Hall, Auburn DL – Byron Young, Tennessee LB – Will Anderson Jr., Alabama LB – Nolan Smith, Georgia LB – Henry To’oTo’o, Alabama DB – Jordan Battle, Alabama DB – Kelee Ringo, Georgia DB – Eli Ricks, Alabama DB – Jalen Catalon, Arkansas
Second-Team DL – Zacch Pickens, South Carolina DL – D.J. Dale, Alabama DL – Ali Gaye, LSU DL – Colby Wooden, Auburn LB – Bumper Pool, Arkansas LB – Dallas Turner, Alabama LB – Brenton Cox Jr., Florida DB – Cam Smith, South Carolina DB – Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M DB – Christopher Smith, Georgia DB – Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State
Third-Team DL – Gervon Dexter, Florida DL – Justin Eboigbe, Alabama DL – Maason Smith, LSU DL – McKinnley Jackson, Texas A&M LB – Owen Pappoe, Auburn LB – Ventrell Miller, Florida LB – Jeremy Banks, Tennessee DB – Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama DB – Trey Dean III, Florida DB – Trevon Flowers, Tennessee DB – Malachi Moore, Alabama
SPECIALISTS
First-Team P – Nik Constantinou, Texas A&M PK – Will Reichard, Alabama RS – Kearis Jackson, Georgia AP – Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama
Second-Team P – Oscar Chapman, Auburn PK – Anders Carlson, Auburn RS – Ainias Smith, Texas A&M AP – Devon Achane, Texas A&M
Third-Team P – Paxton Brooks, Tennessee PK – Harrison Mevis, Missouri RS – JoJo Earle, Alabama AP – Ainias Smith, Texas A&M
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc., announced Thursday that Tennessee redshirt senior wide receiver Cedric Tillman has been named to the 2022 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List. Coming off a breakout campaign for the Big Orange last fall, Tillman is one of five receivers from the Southeastern Conference to be recognized on the initial listing.
The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the college football season’s outstanding FBS receiver. Any player, regardless of position (wide receiver, tight end, slot back, and running back) who catches a pass is eligible for the award.
Tillman emerged as one of the SEC’s best playmakers in 2021, finishing the year with 64 catches for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Las Vegas native rounded out his redshirt junior season ranking ninth in the SEC in catches, fifth in receiving yards, third in touchdowns and third in average yards per catch (16.9). He was especially productive against AP Top 25 competition, finishing fourth in the nation with 535 yards and four touchdowns against ranked foes.
In Tennessee single-season annals, Tillman ranked tied for eighth in catches, fourth in receiving yards and tied for second with Cedrick Wilson (2000) in touchdowns. He caught a TD pass in a school-record seven consecutive games to end the season, including a combined five in the final two games of the year.
Tillman notched five 100-yard receiving games, including four-straight to end the 2021 season. He capped his historic campaign with an emphatic performance at the TransPerfect Music City Bowl against Purdue, reeling in seven catches for 150 yards and a school-record-tying three touchdowns. Tillman’s postseason performance in Nashville pushed him past the 1,000-yard mark for the season, becoming Tennessee’s eighth receiver to accomplish the feat and first since 2012.
The Biletnikoff Award semifinalists, finalists, and recipient are selected by the highly distinguished Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, a group of 640 prominent college football journalists, commentators, announcers, Biletnikoff Award winners, and other former receivers. The 2022 Biletnikoff Award winner will be presented the Biletnikoff Award trophy by TQC Foundation Chairman Mark Ryan and the banquet keynote speaker at the black-tie Biletnikoff Award Banquet & Celebration at the Dunlap Champions Club, at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Saturday, March 4, 2023.
Three former Vols have been tabbed as a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award: Joey Kent (1996), Kelley Washington (2001) and Robert Meachem (2006).
(This is the second in a three-part series on what some SEC coaches said about other SEC programs. They spoke on the condition they would not be identified. PartTwo is about the SEC East–not counting Tennessee)
By Jimmy Hyams
SEC EAST
Georgia won its first national championship since Herschel Walker was waylaying defenders and Vince Dooley as dishing out win after win.
That was 1980.
The Dawgs ended the 41-year drought thanks to a dominant defense and a former walk-on quarterback.
The defense should again be stout, the quarterback (Stetson Bennett)) is back, and so is the head coach (Kirby Smart) who put together the roster.
Can Georgia sustain success at a high level.
SEC coaches certainly think so.
“Kirby Smart knows how to recruit,’’ one SEC coach said. “He’s had a recruiting machine in place. The NIL makes the rich get richer. He’s positioned to compete with anybody on any amount (of NIL money) for any player, high school or college. They just had 15 drafted – that’s testimony to what I just said.
“At Georgia, the NIL was alive and well at least for the last four years, make no mistake about it.
“They don’t come to school just to be there. They’re coming for juice. Georgia has done a great job developing guys and getting those caliber players. The first pick of the draft did not make All-SEC (Trevon Walker) but he’s a helluva kid from a helluva family. He’s going to be a Julius Pepper-type guy, a dominant player in the league for 10-12 years. He’ll probably be a better pro than college player because of his position.’’
When you’ve got the No. 1 overall pick of the draft and he doesn’t make All-SEC, you know you’ve got talent. And many talented players return.
“They’ll be younger,’’ one SEC coach said. “They lost a lot of experience and talent, but they are still very talented. They can be as good defensively, despite their losses. We’ve asked that question for 15 years about Alabama, saying no way they can be as good as last year on defense because they lost all those players to the NFL. Well, the same applies for Georgia.’’
FLORIDA:
Billy Napier inherits a Florida team that went 6-7, lost to South Carolina and Missouri and lost its starting quarterback to the transfer portal.
Napier has already indicated he doesn’t have much depth.
“I don’t think Dan Mullen did a good job recruiting talent at Florida,’’ said an SEC coach. “He was a great offensive coach there, but ultimately he couldn’t control those kids.
“The same question goes for Billy Napier: can he manage those kids? Billy will recruit kids that fit his culture and personality and stay away from the guys that don’t. But the best kids in Florida often have an edge to them, and you’ve got to be able to handle them.
“Nick Saban is smart and can handle edgy kids. I don’t know if Billy (a former Saban assistant) is wired that way.’’
Despite the lack of depth, Florida does have good front-line players, one coach said.
“Florida should have as much talent as anyone,’’ the coach said. “Their starting 22 is good. They don’t have terrible depth, they don’t have any depth.’’
Success hinges on the play of athletic, but erratic, quarterback Anthony Richardson.
“They’ve got a really good quarterback (Anthony Richardson),’’ one coach said. “But like any quarterback, you’ve got to do what he does well and he can do some things really well.
“They’re very limited on the offensive line. But I will say this, if you’re going to be limited on the offense line, you’d rather be in the East (Division) than the West, minus Georgia.’’
SOUTH CAROLINA:
The Gamecocks (2-8 in 2020) had player defections, played four different quarterbacks, got little help from an injured back who had over 1,000 yards the year before, yet managed to go 7-6, beat Florida and Auburn and down North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
“Shane Beamer has done a really good job,’’ one SEC coach said. “He inherited a mess. He turned it around. He exceeded everyone’s expectations. He kept kids in the program without them transferring, like (defensive tackle) Zacch Pickens, a potential first-round draft pick. Now it’s a matter of being consistent.’’
Carolina was also able to lure a quarterback with star potential.
“The thing that impressed me about Shane is he got a quarterback (Spencer Rattler) from Oklahoma to come,’’ one SEC coach said. “That talks about positive relationships. And the ability to recruit a high-level player at a program like South Carolina, which is middle of the road program in the SEC.’’
One coached noted: “They went 7-6 and won a bowl game playing four quarterbacks, none of whom were very good. Remarkable. I don’t even know how you describe that. That’s not supposed to happen. That speaks to coaching. Will Muschamp (the previous coach) wouldn’t have done that. To me, that’s a statement about going in a positive direction and inheriting a tough situation.
“Beamer brought in a culture shift that worked. I don’t think the culture was bad. It was different. I think he went in and got a group of guys to play hard, really hard, and they had success.’’
How would you compare Beamer to Clemson coach Dabo Swinney?
Said one coach: “They don’t see the glass half full. They see the glass overflowing. I think it worked for Shane Beamer (at SC). I don’t think there’s any question about that. But that approach, if they’d lost some of those that were really, really ugly wins, we wouldn’t be talking about (the positive approach).
KENTUCKY:
Kentucky won 10 games for the second time in four years and the fourth time in program history.
The architect behind the success: Mark Stoops.
“I think Mike Stoops does as a good a job as anybody in the SEC,’’ one SEC coach said. “The guy has been amazingly consistent. He’s done a helluva job.
“Kentucky is not a great football state. He’s got a great culture and he does a great job developing talent. Kentucky has really good leadership in the athletic department and they give Stoops the support he needs, unlike what we’ve seen at South Carolina and Tennessee the past 10 years. South Carolina and Tennessee would love to have Kentucky’s record over the past 10 years.’’
One SEC coach thinks Kentucky will be strong as long as Stoops is there: “I think they’ve got a program to where they re-load. Alabama re-loads to win a national championship. Kentucky re-loads to win 8 or 9 games. They re-load to be the best they can be. There’s not a drop-off. They’re very consistent. And history says that ain’t been done very many times (at Kentucky), not in our lifetime.
“Their culture is really good and the evaluation in recruiting is really good. Off the cuff, I’d say they probably do as good a job of developing players to be the best they can be of anybody in SEC.
“Stoops recruits guys nobody says will even play in the SEC and they’re being drafted in the 3rd or 4th round.’’
MISSOURI:
Eli Drinkwitz is 11-12 in two seasons in the SEC.
While the Tigers were trounced by Tennessee and Georgia and Texas A&M, the Tigers beat Kentucky and Florida.
“I don’t think that guy (Eli Drinkwitz) has elevated the program,’’ one SEC coach said. “I think it’s dipped. Gary Pinkel did a great job. With Barry Odom, the program leveled off. With Eli, they’ve dropped off and they’re not competitive or consistent. I think he’s in trouble. Anymore, you better start winning in your third season or they’ll fire your butt.’’
One SEC coach thinks it’s tough to win at Missouri: “Missouri is a hard job, It’s like South Carolina. Missouri is not going to be a big portal player so you’ve got to get them out of high school and develop them. It’s hard to recruit to Missouri. They’re probably the most outpost team there is in the SEC.
“Pinkel did a great job evaluating, and the players played hard, played smart and didn’t beat themselves. They found ways to win games. That’s what Drinkwitz needs to do. That ain’t hard but it ain’t easy. Don’t beat yourself is rule No. 1.’’
Missouri has struggled on defense in recent years, allowing 62 points to Tennessee, 35 to North Texas and 43 to Georgia.
“They were so bad on defense the first six games, really bad,’’ one SEC coach said. “They couldn’t stop the run at all. Teams had huge rushing yards against them. They tweaked some things and finished better than they started.
“Missouri has a uniqueness that is different from the rest of the SEC and makes it hard for them to win in the SEC.
VANDERBILT
Vanderbilt hasn’t won a conference game in two years. It is 1-24 in SEC play over the past three years.
Since 2009, it has had seven seasons with one or fewer SEC wins.
“I just think Vanderbilt is the enigma of the SEC,’’ one SEC coach said. “I don’t think Vanderbilt played any better with Clark Lea than they did the year before with Derek Mason. It’s just a hard job. It’s good for the academic image of SEC. But it’s hard to win there.
“Academics is not a priority in the SEC, but it is at Vanderbilt. At Vandy, if you had a team with a 4.0 (grade-point average) and 2-10 record, you could keep your job. That means as much as a 10-2 record and 2.0 GPA.’’
Vandy did win nine games in back-to-back years within the last decade – a credit to former coach James Franklin.
“James Franklin did the best coaching job,’’ one SEC coach said. “But he had perfect timing because Georgia and Florida and Tennessee were average. James hit it at the perfect time. The East was not powerful. But to James’ credit, he won and got to a bowl game. If you get to a bowl game at Vanderbilt, that’s a story. He also did a good job of evaluation and acquiring talent in and around Nashville. That’s what this guy (Lea) has to do.’’
One SEC coach said the best think about Vanderbilt is “it’s in Nashville and when you graduate with degree, that means something.’’
Said another coach: “Vanderbilt is such a hard job, and I’m not saying just academically. It’s the lack of resources they have in terms of imagine, facilities, everything. It’s not who they’re having to play on Saturday. That makes it difficult to recruit. You can do a great job at Vanderbilt and because of the schedule, win just 3 or 4 games.’’
Fox News reporting, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear says 30 people have now died and dozens more are still unaccounted for following several days of severe thunderstorms, flooding, and mudslides. (as of 8/1/22 @ 10:58 a.m.)
Damage to bridges, roads, and water systems complicated rescue efforts on Sunday, Beshear said. “We have dozens of bridges that are out — making it hard to get to people, making it hard to supply people with water,” Beshear said at a press conference in Knott County, where 15 people have died, including four children.
At least 359 people have sought shelter from the flooding at 15 sites and two state parks.
More than 12,000 people were still without power on Sunday evening, according to poweroutage.us.
“We are still focused on meeting the immediate needs of providing food, water and shelter for thousands of our fellow Kentuckians who have been displaced by this catastrophic flood,” Beshear said in a statement on Sunday. “At the same time, we have started on the long road to eventual recovery.”
FEMA said Sunday morning that at least 37 people are still unaccounted for, while Beshear told NBC that “we’re going to be finding bodies for weeks.”
President Biden declared a federal disaster on Friday to free up federal funds for recovery efforts. Renters and homeowners whose homes are damage can apply for individual assistance with FEMA. It’s the second natural disaster to hit Kentucky in the past seven months after several tornadoes ripped through the state in December, killing 80 people.
Original Story: JACKSON, Ky. (AP) — Search and rescue teams backed by the National Guard searched Friday for people missing in record floods that wiped out entire communities in some of the poorest places in America. Kentucky’s governor said 16 people have died (as of 11:15 a.m.), a toll he expected to grow as the rain keeps falling.
“We’ve still got a lot of searching to do,” said Jerry Stacy, the emergency management director in Kentucky ’s hard-hit Perry County. “We still have missing people.”
Powerful floodwaters swallowed towns that hug creeks and streams in Appalachian valleys and hollows, swamping homes and businesses, trashing vehicles in useless piles and crunching runaway equipment and debris against bridges. Mudslides marooned people on steep slopes and at least 33,000 customers were without power.
Governor Andy Beshear told The Associated Press Friday that the 15 dead in Kentucky includes children, and said “I expect that number to more than double, probably even throughout today.”
Emergency crews made close to 50 air rescues and hundreds of water rescues on Thursday, and more people still needed help, the governor said: “This is not only an ongoing disaster but an ongoing search and rescue. The water is not going to crest in some areas until tomorrow.”
Determining the number of people unaccounted for is tough with cell service and electricity out across the disaster area, he said: “This is so widespread, it’s a challenge on even local officials to put that number together.”
More than 200 people have sought shelter, Beshear said. He deployed National Guard soldiers to the hardest-hit areas. Three parks set up shelters, and with property damage so extensive, the governor opened an online portal for donations to the victims. President Joe Biden called to express his support for what will be a lengthy recovery effort, Beshear said, predicting it will take more than a year to fully rebuild.
Biden also declared a federal disaster to direct relief money to more than a dozen Kentucky counties, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency appointed an officer to coordinate the recovery.
Beshear had planned to tour the disaster area on Friday, but postponed it due to “unsafe air travel conditions,” his office said.
More rain Friday tormented the region after days of torrential rainfall. The storm sent water gushing from hillsides and surging out of streambeds, inundating roads and forcing rescue crews to use helicopters and boats to reach trapped people. Flooding also damaged parts of western Virginia and southern West Virginia, across a region where poverty is endemic.
“There are hundreds of families that have lost everything,” Beshear said. “And many of these families didn’t have much to begin with. And so it hurts even more. But we’re going to be there for them.”
Poweroutage.us reported more than 33,000 customers remained without electricity Friday in eastern Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia, with the bulk of the outages in Kentucky.
Rescue crews also worked in Virginia and West Virginia to reach people in places where roads weren’t passable. Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for six counties in West Virginia where the flooding downed trees, power outages and blocked roads. Governor Glenn Youngkin also made an emergency declaration, enabling Virginia to mobilize resources across flooded areas of southwest Virginia.
“With more rainfall forecasted over the next few days, we want to lean forward in providing as many resources possible to assist those affected,” Youngkin said in a statement.
While some floodwaters receded after peaking Thursday, the National Weather Service said flash flooding remained possible through Friday evening in places across the region.
The hardest hit areas of eastern Kentucky received between 8 and 10 1/2 inches over a 48-hour period ending Thursday, said Brandon Bonds, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Jackson. Some areas got more rain overnight, including Martin County, which was pounded with another 3 inches or so leading to new a flash flood warning on Friday.
The North Fork of the Kentucky River rose to broke records in at least two places. A river gauge recorded 20.9 feet (6.4 meters) in Whitesburg, more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) over the previous record, and the river crested at a record 43.47 feet (13.25 meters) in Jackson, Bonds said.
Bonds said some places could see more rain Friday afternoon, and begin to dry out on Saturday “before things pick back up Sunday and into next week.”
Krystal Holbrook already had enough on Thursday, as her family raced through the night to move vehicles, campers, trailers and equipment as the rapidly rising floodwaters menaced her southeastern Kentucky town of Jackson. “Higher ground is getting a little bit difficult” to find, she said.
In Whitesburg, Kentucky, floodwaters seeped into Appalshop, an arts and education center renowned for promoting and preserving the region’s history and culture.
“We’re not sure exactly the full damage because we haven’t been able to safely go into the building or really get too close to it,” said Meredith Scalos, its communications director. “We do know that some of our archival materials have flooded out of the building into Whitesburg streets.”
Some people in East Tennessee are seeing an increase in text scams.
Some people are receiving text messages from someone not in their contacts.
Most messages refer to a package at the post office which can’t be delivered because the address is wrong and they need to update their information, and ask you to please click on a link.
Tony Binkley with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) says this type of scam is referred to as ‘Smishing’.
He says the best thing to do is if you’re not expecting a package and receive a text, don’t open any links.
A woman reportedly falls of the chair lift at Anakeesta and dies.
Seth Butler with the City of Gatlinburg says Gatlinburg Fire and Rescue responders found a woman dead under the lift last night (Thursday).
Anakeesta’s attractions sit atop a mountain in Gatlinburg and use a chairlift ride to transport visitors.
A witness told police he saw the woman fall from the lift from about three-quarters of the way up the mountain. Reportedly many people tried to tell the woman her safety railing was up but she did not respond.
Butler says the Sevier County Medical Examiners office pronounced the victim dead. The incident remains under investigation.
